The Press in the Arab Middle East

Digitizing the historical periodical collection at the Al-Aqsa Mosque Library in East Jerusalem

“…Arab newspapers and periodicals in Palestine developed later than the press in neighboring Arab countries like Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria that had already established a vibrant press in the second half of the nineteenth century (Ayalon, 1995;Mellor, 2005). The Palestinian press developed at the turn of the twentieth century when Palestinian Arabs, often trained at the Christian publishing houses, began to establish their own printing presses.…”

“…Political changes that occurred in the Ottoman Empire, following the Young Turks rebellion in 1908 and resulting in the restoration of the 1876 Constitution and the abolishment of censorship, had a positive impact on the development of the Arabic language press. Additionally, in Palestine, as Ayalon (1995) notes, "Zionist settlement constituted an additional incentive for the emergence of Arabic publications, many of them, although not all, opposed to the new Jewish presence" (p.66). Three major Arabic language papers were established during this period in Palestine and all of them were published by Christian Arabs: al-Quds began to appear in 1908 in Jerusalem; al-Karmil established by Najib Nassar in Haifa in 1908, and Filastine ( Figure 2) that became a leading Palestinian paper, was founded by 'Isa al-Isa in 1911 in Jaffa.…”

“…Three major Arabic language papers were established during this period in Palestine and all of them were published by Christian Arabs: al-Quds began to appear in 1908 in Jerusalem; al-Karmil established by Najib Nassar in Haifa in 1908, and Filastine ( Figure 2) that became a leading Palestinian paper, was founded by 'Isa al-Isa in 1911 in Jaffa. Al-Karmil and Filastine played a leading role in rising Arab nationalism and opposition to Jewish immigration (Ayalon, 1995;Musallam, 2005).…”

“…Most of the Arabic language papers were opposed to the Zionist movement and were critical of British policies in Palestine, but also varied in their political positions. Ayalon (1995) notes, "it was a variegated press scene, mirroring a multipolar polity" (p. 97).…”

“…Scholars tend to agree that despite those restrictions "the period until 1929 proved to be the most liberal era in the thirty-one years of British rule in Palestine" (Musallam, 2008). Ayalon (1995) points out, "Palestinian journalists enjoyed more freedom of expression during the 1920s than their colleagues in some of the other states in the region" (p. 98).…”